JPH0548790A - Color picture communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the identification of a caller by utilizing the characteristic of a color picture. CONSTITUTION:An ISDN interface section 6 is started at transmission, communication with a reception destination is attained and the reception destination receives caller code information to check whether or not color print is implemented. When the color information be received, a system controller 1 sends color code information (e.g., caller telephone number, a transmission year and date, and transmission time, etc.) of the sender entered by an operation section 2 to a picture coded data. The reception side prints out the caller information in combination with color characters and the urgency of the sender information is printed out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a color image communication apparatus for transmitting / receiving information of a sender as color information.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a black and white G3 facsimile machine, information about a sender (for example,
The caller's telephone number, date of transmission, time, etc.) are added and output. This makes it possible for
It is possible to identify whether it is the transmitted communication message. As a related prior art of this type, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-1
79153, JP-A-2-131665, and the like.

[0003]

However, with the above-mentioned additional information, it is not possible to determine at a glance where the sender is, and it is also possible to distinguish whether it is urgent content. There was a problem that I could not. Further, in consideration of future development of the color facsimile apparatus, it is necessary to fully utilize the characteristics of color, which has three times as much image information amount as a monochrome image.

An object of the present invention is to provide a color image communication device which utilizes the characteristics of a color image to improve the identification of the sender.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention according to claim 1, a color image input means, and
Means for transmitting and receiving data via the line, means for encoding the input image, means for decoding the received image information, color image output means, and means for accumulating the encoded image information. The provided color image communication apparatus is characterized in that it is provided with means for creating the information of the sender in color and means for sending the created information of the sender together with the encoded data.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the creating means expresses the urgency of the information of the sender.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a color image input means, a means for transmitting and receiving data via a line, a means for encoding an input image, a means for decoding received image information, and a color In a color image communication apparatus including an image output unit and a unit for accumulating encoded image information, a unit for receiving information of a transmission source together with encoded data, and outputting the received information of the transmission source in color. And a means for doing so are provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the output means outputs the urgency of the information of the sender.

[0009]

When transmitting, the ISDN interface unit is activated to communicate with the receiver, and the receiver receives the code information of the sender and confirms whether or not it is possible to print in color. When the receiver can receive the sender's code information, the system controller encodes the sender's color code information (for example, the sender's telephone number, sender date, time, etc.) input by the operation unit. Send with the encrypted data. On the receiving side, the sender information is printed in a combination of color characters, and the urgency of the sender information is displayed and output. Therefore, on the receiving side, it is possible to immediately discriminate the sender who is displayed in color characters, and it is possible to easily identify whether or not the transmitted information is urgent.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a system controller 1 controls the operation of each part of the color G4 facsimile apparatus, and includes a CPU (central processing unit), a RAM that is a work area of the CPU, a ROM that stores a control program, and the like.
It is composed of a bus interface and the like. Also,
A character generator (CG) 12 is provided and, as will be described later,
A character pattern is generated from the received character code and written in the image memory unit 4. Further, it controls the operation unit 2 and the secondary storage device 3 to be described later and transfers data between these devices.

The operation section 2 is provided with various operation keys (a start key of a facsimile,
A telephone number input key, a function key, etc.), an operation procedure, and a display device for displaying various information such as the state of the facsimile apparatus.

The secondary storage device 3 stores encoded data,
It is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk device for storing a registered telephone number. The image memory unit 4 is a frame buffer for storing uncompressed input / output image data, that is, image data read by the scanner unit 8 or image data output to the plotter unit 7, which will be described later. It is composed of interfaces.

The codec section (encoding / decoding) 5 transfers image data to and from the image memory section 4, and
Image data is compressed and expanded according to the G (Joint Photographic Experts Group) method. In addition, JPEG
Regarding the method, for example, the Image Coding Symposium (P
CSJ) Steering Committee sponsored PCSJ90 Image Coding Lecture Preliminary Lecture "International standardization trend of color still image coding"
Please refer to.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the codec section 5, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the codec section 5. At the time of encoding, the DMA (Direct Memory Access) 22 transfers the R, G, B image data in the image memory unit 4 to the RAM 23 (step 301). DSP (Digital Signal Processor)
The color conversion unit 241 constituting 24 linearly converts the R, G, B image data into a luminance component Y and color difference components Cb, Cr (steps 302, 303). DCT (discrete cosine transform) of DSP 24 for Y, Cb, Cr image data
/ The inverse DCT unit 242 performs the DCT operation (step 3
04), the quantization / inverse quantization unit 243 quantizes the DCT coefficient (step 305), and the CPU 21
The quantized DCT coefficient is temporarily stored in the RAM 23.

Then, the CPU 21 makes the quantized DC
The T coefficient is Huffman-encoded (step 306) and the compressed data is converted into a FIFO (first-in / first-out, which is provided to operate the DSP without delay when transmitting / receiving image data) 25. It is written (step 307). Then, the compressed data is transmitted to the ISDN interface unit 6 via the bus interface 26.

Decoding is the reverse of the above-described encoding operation, and the compressed data received by the ISDN interface unit 6 is transferred to the FIFO 2 via the bus interface 26.
5, and is decrypted by the CPU 21. Hereinafter, the quantization / inverse quantization unit 243 is applied to the decoded data.
Then, dequantization is performed, and further, the DCT / inverse DCT unit 242 performs an inverse DCT operation to decompress the compressed data. Then, color conversion is performed to restore the original image.

DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform)
Discrete Cosine Transform) is a method of orthogonal transform that removes spatially redundant components of an image signal and compresses the image signal, and is applied to color still image, video conference / videophone, and moving image coding systems. , Already ISO and CCITT
The standardization recommendation has been decided by.

The two-dimensional DCT will be briefly described below. Pixels forming an image are divided into blocks of 8 × 8 pixels, and the value of each pixel is expressed as f (i, j) (where i = 0-7, j = 0 to 7), the map F by DCT
(U, v) is

## EQU00001 ## F (u, v) = (4.C (u) .C (v) /N.N) .SIGMA..SIGMA.f (i, j) .cos {(2i + 1) u.pi./2N} .cos {(2j + 1) vπ / 2N} is represented by the equation (1). The result of this two-dimensional DCT is called a DCT coefficient, which is given by an 8 × 8 coefficient matrix. However,
The sum of products operation is performed from i, j = 0 to N-1. Also, C
(W) = 1 / √2 (when w = 0) or 1 (w = 1,
2 ... N-1).

The inverse DCT is

F (i, j) = ΣΣC (u) · C (v) · F (u, v) · cos {(2i + 1) uπ / 2N} · cos {(2j + 1) vπ / 2N} Formula (2 ) Is required. However, the sum of products operation is u, v = 0 to N
Go to -1.

The 8 × 8 coefficient matrix F (u, v) given by the equation (1) corresponds to the conversion coefficient of a higher frequency component of the spatial frequencies included in the image as u and v increase. , F (0,0) corresponds to the coefficient of the DC component. FIG. 6A shows an 8 × 8 pixel block.
(B) is a diagram showing an 8 × 8 coefficient matrix as a result of performing a DCT operation on the block. That is, in FIG. 6B, the top row corresponds to the horizontal component in the horizontal direction in order from the lowest frequency component among the coefficients of the horizontal component of the spatial frequency included in the image, and the leftmost column Similarly, among the coefficients of the vertical components, components in the vertical direction correspond in order from the component with the lowest frequency, and the upper left component (F00) is
It corresponds to the DC component coefficient of the image. The diagonal portion corresponds to the frequency coefficient (AC coefficient) obtained by superimposing the horizontal and vertical components, respectively.

The ISDN interface section 6 controls a protocol for communication and transmits / receives compressed encoded data, and is composed of an interface circuit for the ISDN line 10, a control section, a memory and a bus interface. In this embodiment, as the communication protocol, the extended function of class 1 of the G4 machine is used, and the color coding expression capability is added.

The plotter unit 7 comprises a DMA (Direct Memory Access), a bus interface, a color ink ribbon, a thermal head, a paper transport mechanism, etc.
The image data is fetched from the image memory unit 4 by DMA, and the color of the color ink ribbon is printed on the paper by the heat of the thermal head according to the color information.

The scanner unit 8 is a device for reading a document image at a predetermined resolution and inputting image data, and includes a light source,
It is composed of a photoelectric conversion element, an A / D converter, a bus interface, and the like. The R, G, and B three colors are simultaneously read by using a filter to obtain color image data, and the separated R, G, and B data are sent to the image memory unit 4 via the bus interface.

The CRT interface section 9 includes a CRT 11
A display memory for displaying on the display, a DMA, a timing controller for display, a D / A converter, and a bus interface. The DMA transfers image data from the image memory unit 4 to the display memory via the bus interface. It is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter and displayed on the CRT 11.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are processing flow charts of the system controller of this embodiment, and the operation of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the flow charts.

At the time of transmission, the system controller 1 detects an instruction from the operation unit 2 (step 402) and first activates the scanner unit 8 to start image reading, while activating the ISDN interface unit 6. , Communicate with the recipient. Then, in the communication protocol, the receiver receives the code information of the sender shown in FIG. 7 and confirms whether or not it is possible to print in color (step 40).
3).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the information format of the transmission source. 81 is a header (2 bytes), 82 is the number of characters to be transmitted (2 bytes), 83 is a character code (2 bytes), and 84 is A color code (R, G,
Each color of B is 1 byte), a character code and a color code are sent below, and 85 is a sum check code. In this way, the color can be designated for each character, and by properly combining these colors, the sender can be distinguished. For example, by making the caller's telephone number a specific color, the caller can be easily identified.

When the receiver can receive the code information of the sender, the system controller 1 causes the code information of the sender (for example, the telephone number of the sender, the date of origination, the time of day) input by the operation unit 2. Etc.) are written in the image memory unit 4 (step 404). Further, when the urgency of the information to be transmitted is high, the system controller 1 expresses the sender information by preset color information according to the urgency input by the operation unit 2. It is transmitted (step 405).

That is, for example, when the degree of urgency is the highest, red is designated as the color code and all the information of the sender is printed in red characters. By doing so, the receiving side (of course, predetermining what the red character means during transmission and reception) is that the urgency of the image information transmitted immediately is high.

When the receiver cannot receive the code information of the transmission source, the system controller 1 converts the code information of the transmission source input by the operation unit 2 into a character pattern by the character generator 12. It may be written in the image memory unit 4.

In the meantime, the scanner unit 8 continues to read the image, simultaneously reads the R, G, and B data for 8 bits each, and sequentially writes them in the image memory unit 4. When the scanner unit 8 completes the storage of a certain amount of data and the processing of the image memory unit 4 of the system controller 1 ends, the system controller 1 instructs the codec unit 5 to start encoding (step 406). ).

The codec section 5 takes in image data from the image memory section 4 and performs an encoding process. The coded information is sent to the system controller 1 and the ISDN interface unit 6, and the system controller 1 stores the coded information in the secondary storage device 3 in preparation for retransmission at the time of error (step 407). ).

On the other hand, the system controller 1 uses the ISD
The N interface section 6 is activated, and the encoded data is transferred via the ISDN line 10 (step 40).
8). That is, when the receiver can receive the code information of the sender, first, the sender information of FIG. 7 is sent, and then the encoded data is sent. When the receiving destination cannot receive the code information of the transmission source, the encoded data (the information of the transmission source is included as image data in the encoded data) is transmitted.

The ISDN interface section 6 continues transmission until the codec section 5 ends, and when the transfer ends,
This is notified to the system controller 1 (step 409). When the system controller 1 receives the transfer end report, the system controller 1 and the CRT interface unit 9
The end display instruction is issued (step 410), and the process returns to the standby state (step 401).

On the other hand, upon reception, when the ISDN interface section 6 detects an incoming call, the ISDN interface section 6 notifies the system controller 1 that the incoming call was detected while performing the receiving operation (step 411). The system controller 1
The operation unit 2 and the CRT interface unit 9 are instructed to display that they are being received (step 412), and the received encoded data is stored in the secondary storage device 3.

At this time, at the stage of the communication protocol, the receiving side receives the source information as code information,
When it is confirmed that color printing is possible, the sender information is stored in the secondary storage device 3 as code information (step 413). When the receiver cannot receive the code information of the sender, the sender receives the encoded data (including the sender information as image data) and stores it in the secondary storage device 3.

When the reception is completed, the operation section 2 and the CRT interface section 9 are instructed to display that the reception is completed (step 414), and the codec section 5 is used to reproduce the image data from the accumulated encoded data. Is activated to decompress the compressed data. The expanded image data is expanded in the image memory unit 4 (step 41).
5). When the sender information is written in the image memory unit 4 (step 416), the system controller 1
Reads the code information of the transmission source stored in the secondary storage device 3, converts it into a character pattern by the character generator (CG) 12, and expands it in the image memory unit 4 (step 4).
17).

Next, the codec section 5 notifies the system controller 1 of each fixed processing unit, and the system controller 1 receives this notification and issues an instruction to display the processed data to the CRT interface section 9 (step 418), and the decompressed image data is displayed on the CRT 11 (step 419). Then, when the processing of the codec section 5 is completed (steps 420 and 421) and printout is necessary (step 422), the plotter section 7 is activated (step 423) and printed out (step 424).

Therefore, the information of the sender is printed by a combination of color characters. For example, the facsimile number which is the information of the sender is printed in blue to indicate that it is a communication message from company A. Further, as described above, when the urgency is transmitted, in order to display the urgency, for example, all information of the sender is displayed and output in a specific color. Then, when all the processing is completed, the fact is displayed on the operation unit 2 (step 425), and the operation returns to the standby state (401).

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the caller is represented by the combination of colors, it is possible to immediately discriminate the caller and to display the urgency on the receiving side. As the information indicating the degree of urgency, in addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, a color mark may be attached to a predetermined position on the upper portion of the image, or the background of the information area of the transmission source is colored red. It is also possible to output it by displaying it.

[0041]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to easily create the sender information at the time of transmission by the combination of colors. For example, the degree of urgency at the time of transmission can be variously changed by the color information.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the information of the sender is output by the color combination on the receiving side, so that the sender can be easily specified. For example, the receiving side can immediately determine whether the transmitted information is urgent and how urgent the information is.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a codec section.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the codec section.

FIG. 4 is a processing flowchart of the system controller of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the process continued from FIG. 4;

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing an 8 × 8 pixel block. FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an 8 × 8 coefficient matrix.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a source information format.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 system controller 2 operation unit 3 secondary storage device 4 image memory unit 5 codec unit 6 ISDN interface unit 7 plotter unit 8 scanner unit 9 CRT interface unit 10 ISDN line 11 CRT 12 character generator

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A color image input means, a means for transmitting and receiving data via a line, a means for encoding an input image, a means for decoding received image information, a color image output means, and a code. In a color image communication device having means for accumulating the converted image information, a means for creating information on the originator in color and a means for transmitting the created information on the originator together with encoded data are provided. A color image communication device characterized in that 2. The color image communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the creating unit expresses an urgency of information of a sender. 3. A color image input means, a means for transmitting and receiving data via a line, a means for encoding an input image, a means for decoding received image information, a color image output means, and a code. In a color image communication device having means for accumulating the converted image information, a means for receiving the information of the sender together with the encoded data and a means for outputting the information of the received sender in color are provided. A color image communication device characterized by the above. 4. The color image communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the output means outputs an urgency of information of a sender.